Not really a "blame the refs" guy, but gah damn, this is 4 straight games of highly questionable officiating. Sengun gets no calls.

Jalen Green finally gets going

Pop told the SA crowd to stop booing leonard. Didnt he get traded years ago?

He was a $#!# to force the trade though.

Harry Dunne said:

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LarryElder said:

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Offense gonna struggle when your two biggest signings are vfleet, and brooks neither are primary scores

Looks like another lottery season

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More than a "primary scorer", a team needs a player who can take over a game when it counts, and that's what we are missing. Some players do that by scoring, but late championship era Lakers Magic & Kareem didn't even average 20 ppg. Duncan/Robinson Spurs, 2004 Pistons, 2008 Celtics…those are just off the top of my head of teams that distributed scoring and dominated crunch time in different ways.

Put another way, I don't think subbing out FVV for peak Gilbert Arenas helps this team much but we are a championship contender by subbing him out for peak Jason Kidd.

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Teams that win without the primary scorer that gets tough buckets are the exception, not the rule, though. Even the 88 Lakers (last title until Kobe/Shaq) had Magic and Worthy putting up 22ppg and Byron Scott putting up 19ppg, plus had Kareem and AC Green. Pierce and Allen both averaged 20+ PPG in the Finals vs Lakers, plus Garnett put up 18ppg. The 99 Spurs had Duncan put up 27ppg in a low-scoring finals where the Spurs only averaged 84ppg. Similar story with 03.

The 04 Pistons are a good example, but they still had Rip and Chauncey as 21ppg scorers in the Finals. The 14 Spurs are probably the best example, because vs Miami, no one topped 18ppg and in the playoffs, no one topped 17ppg.

The common links I see on all the teams you pointed out are:

1. Smart veteran leadership
2. Good to elite defense
3. Great coaching

Rockets are on the right path for both of those with FVV (check both boxes), and Dillon Brooks (just gonna give him the second box.) Once developed, most think Amen will be an elite defensive player, too.

Plus coaching - I think everyone agrees that Ime Udoka has exceeded expectations so far. Plus Udoka was an assistant on that 2014 Spurs team, so he certainly understands the blueprint for the championship without a superstar in their prime.

Rockets are on the right path for sure.

Summer 2024 Cap Situation:

Guaranteed:
FVV: 42.8
DB: 22.3
Jalen Green: 12.5
Jabari: 9.8
Amen: 9.2
Sengun: 5.4
Eason: 3.7
Whitmore: 3.4
That 109MM in guaranteed in a cap estimated to be around 145MM.

There are also options or unguaranteed contracts to Tate, Jeff Green, and Jock Landale.

I think it is likely that Stone/Udoka brings in another good player at the deadline if teams are dumping or in free agency next year. There is plenty of flexibility and if Udoka continues to exceed expectations, they will be an attractive destination.

Up 17 at half on the champs

The D said:

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Up 17 at half on the champs

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Their leading scorer has 25 and ours has 11

We solved the Nuggets. Let Jokic go bezerk and make the others beat you. Good W

Another good win. Might as well keep it going on Tuesday and beat the Mavs.

I've watched most of the games this season although not posted yet. For a team with an identity built on D, the inability to get a stop seemingly this entire quarter has been painful.

I only watched the last 4 minutes or so but am I wrong in thinking the refs were criminally bad? Seems like Dillon brooks reputation leads to refs calling anything that they possibly think could be a foul on him. Also kyrie looks like he's 65 years old not even exaggerating.

I think hate Luka more than any other player. His bull**** should not work.

Is it just me or does feel like the 10th time the Rockets have played the Nuggets this year?

The Porkchop Express said:

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Is it just me or does feel like the 10th time the Rockets have played the Nuggets this year?

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With the release of the 81st/82nd regular season games:

The Nuggets will play the Rockets and Clippers 7 times in the first 23 games of the year.

Those 7 matchups will occur in a stretch of 14 games, from Game 10 to Game 23 of the season.

That is, frankly, insane.

— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) November 29, 2023

The Porkchop Express said:

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Is it just me or does feel like the 10th time the Rockets have played the Nuggets this year?

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You mean there's other teams in the nba besides the rockets, nuggets, and lakers?

Though the new coach was defensive mastermind only gave up 132 poins to Denver...

From The Athletic Roundup of the SWD

Defense on the road: Through the first month or so of the season, Houston's Jekyll and Hyde defensive splits are confusing. Entering Thursday, the home version of the Rockets ranks as the league's stingiest outfit, according to Cleaning the Glass, giving up a rigid 100.6 points per 100 possessions. Away from Toyota Center, the Rockets look eerily similar to the team that struggled over the past two seasons, slipping to 25th in defensive efficiency. It certainly doesn't help matters that they're not as stout on the glass and cough up the ball more on the road, in addition to being unlucky with opponents shooting better from 3-point range. For Ime Udoka's vision to be actualized across the board, they'll need to tighten things up. Kelly Iko

It's not all that confusing if you've actually been watching the games. Our schedule has been nuts on the road, in multiple way.

HotardRat said:

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It's not all that confusing if you've actually been watching the games. Our schedule has been nuts on the road, in multiple way.

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Yeah, this Lakers game will be the 6th road game in 8 games after 7 straight home games. The 3 road games in 4 nights stretch with Clippers/Lakers/Warriors was brutal scheduling.

Udoke got thrown out of the game lol